


Go Big or Go Extinct

by ChunChan11



Category: Pacific Rim (2013), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-12
Updated: 2013-10-12
Packaged: 2017-12-29 06:06:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1001891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChunChan11/pseuds/ChunChan11
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the son of Jaeger Program Founder Howard Stark, Tony has dreamed of piloting his own Jaeger for as long as he can remember.<br/>But despite the fact that his mind was sharp enough to come up with the designs for his very own Jaeger Prototype, the fact that no one seems drift compatible with him hinders him from reaching his one dream.<br/>When dire times fall upon the crew of the Shatterdome and Tony finds his life's work endangered, he resorts to desperate measure to not loose the one dream he still has left.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Go Big or Go Extinct

"Tony!"  
"Mr. Stark! Over here!"  
"This way, please!"  
"One more, Tony! Give us that V! Yes!"  
"Tony!"  
"Mr. Stark!"

A cacophony of voices, a tidal wave of noise, swept over him the second he left the sleek, black limousine and had he not slipped on his trademark sunglasses, he would have been blinded by the onslaught of flashlights. Barely able to conceal the sneer that itched behind the perfect picture smile on his lips he raised his arm, middle- and pointer finger creating the victory sign and the crowd cheered, the cameras clicking away frenetically. 

Vultures, the lot of them, all here to finally see him fall. Too bad for them no one would be falling today, nor ever. He was Tony Stark and Tony Stark never fell. Tony Stark has setbacks only to reemerge brighter and more brilliant than before! And today would be no different.

The weight of a big hand fell heavy onto his shoulder, its grip tight, leading him away from his little game with the press and allowing for zero discussion. He gritted his teeth, poorly disguising the expression as a grin as he waved at the crowd one last time before turning his back on them.

"You're a spoilsport, you know that, Rogers? _Panem et circenses!_ Ever heard of that? Gotta give them something positive to write about, ya know! Better have the headlines be 'Stark! Confident as ever!' then 'Tony Stark dismantled before court!'"

He underlined his words with a bright and dazzling smile, looking up at the taller man next to him but received nothing but a cold, blue look and a minimal shake of the blonde's head in return. The burn of another snark left unspoken scorched his tongue as they ascended the marble stairs towards the courthouse, leaving press and onlookers behind. Compared to the ruckus outside the silence within was almost deafening, the sound of polished shoes on cold stone floor like gunshots in his ears.

"Ya know … I …" 

The rest of the sentence died on his lips, interrupted by a court official rushing towards them, so he merely smiled again, his best trained reflex to any sort of uncomfortable situation, greeting the slightly flushed man with a raised hand.

"Five minutes late … 's gotta be a new record for me … well, let's hope the judge got laid last night! Then this shouldn't take more then a couple of minutes! I'll see ya on the other side, Rogers! Oh and don't gimme that face! Don't you worry, Mom. I'll be a good boy and only say the things we rehearsed … I'll be nice to the Ladies and Gentlemen of the House and not use dirty language … much. Seriously, Steve! This is not my first time in a courtroom … I'll be fine! Go, sit with the others and enjoy the show!"

And with that he left the blonde behind, forcing the official to scramble after him and completely ignoring Steve's call of 'Good luck, jerk!'. Shaking his head he almost laughed at the absurdity of having Captain Steve 'Stick-Up-His-Ass' Rogers escorting him here and having his back. Not that the entire situation was not absurd in itself. Because it clearly was, to have him, a national hero, a savior of thousands, if not millions of lives, stand accused of treachery, of fraud and ill intention towards the very country he loved and served. Preposterous, really and a big-ass joke to boot.

And yet, here he was, standing up with everyone else present, waiting for the Judges and Jury to make an appearance. Had the public been allowed in on this session, the room would have been bursting with people. Now there was not more then a handful, filling the row of seats right behind him. He would never admit it out loud but the fact that the other pilots were all here meant a lot to him, surprised as he had been at seeing their faces here.

Obviously there was Steve, looking grim and slightly nervous in his uniform, the only one of them to wear it, too. Barnes, ever present smirk in place to his right, Clint and Natasha, both stoic and unreadable as usual to the left. Next to them he saw Bruce, too, the biologist twisting his glasses between his hands, eyes flitting through the room, focusing on nothing and all at once. What an honor, that he would leave his beloved lab behind for Tony's sake. And Pepper was there, too, bright red hair tied back, looking immaculate in her off-white pencil skirt and jacket. She wore the necklace he had given her for her birthday last month, he noticed with a smile. When she caught his expression though, she firmly shook her head and jerked it to the front, urging him to pay attention.

Less surprising was the fact that his own father had not deemed it necessary to appear, instead sending his Vice and Tony's godfather, Obadiah Stane, to represent the Jaeger Program as well as Tony's family. But for some reason, the usual empty and unpleasant feeling he felt on occasions like this, did not come. As he turned towards the judges bench, for maybe the first time in his life he truly felt like he was not in this alone. That he would indeed not fall because there were people present to catch him, just in case. That he was part of a team.

And so, as he was called forward to plead his case he did so with confidence, with the knowledge that everything would be alright. Smiling at the State Attorney, he waited for the questions to start, carefully reviewing his story once more in his mind.

"Mr. Stark! You plead Not Guilty on every charge. Despite the fact that extensive evidence show that you have indeed entered Stark Industries Jaeger Program under false pretense, have manipulated test results and repeatedly acted against explicit orders, thereby endangering not only yourself, your comrades and the entire Shatterdome facility but ultimately the entire population of this planet. I admit that I am rather curious as to how you might proof to us your innocence. Please, do enlighten us!"

Despite his best efforts he could not help but laugh softly at that. In answer a collective mixture of sighs and snorts came from the seats behind him and the Attorney lifted one finely plucked eyebrow.

"Did I say something amusing, Mr. Stark?"

"No, no! Not … amusing in the traditional sense at least, Ma'am, I assure you. However … the way you put it makes it seem like I had a choice in any of those cases, like I deliberately chose to, as you so eloquently put it, endanger the entire planet!"

The eyebrow rose even higher and Tony was sure he heard Steve and Pepper simultaneously groan behind him. He pressed on, though, ready now to charge into this and come out the victor.  
"You see … to become a Jaeger Pilot is not like becoming State Attorney. You don't get to go to school for some many years, study as many books as you possibly can, then take an oath one day and Boom! You're one of the most over-paid people on the State's payroll. No … becoming a Pilot … **being** a pilot, it's vocation, a calling, if you like … by some force bigger then yourself! If you receive that call, you answer it and you sure as hell don't let anything like paperwork or regulations stop you. But I see, I go to fast for you … so let me start at the beginning! Let me _prove_ to you that I was right to take the steps I took and that ultimately my taking these steps did not endanger anyone but in fact saved yours and mine and all of our sorry asses! You want to be enlightened? Then listen up and listen good! It all started, oh about … two and a half years ago … you remember? When everyone thought that the threat was over? That we'd seen the last of those beasts? … Well weren't we in for a surprise, eh?"

 

~*~*~

"Eagle Alpha! Eagle Alpha, this is Shatterdome calling! Can you hear us? Barnes, Rogers?! Can you hear us? Goddammit … what's going on out there? BlackHawk, come in! Have you got any visual?"

"Shatterdome, this is BlackHawk! Visual on what? What are we looking for, exactly? There's nothing out here except … holy shit, is that … Clint, do you see that?" - "I see it Tasha, and I do not like it one bit … Shatterdome, we need backup! Like yesterday … where're Steve and Bucky? Shit, here it comes! Tasha, brace for impa …"

_"Connection disabled … attempt to reestablish in … 10 … 9 …"_

"Motherfucker! Hill! Get yo ass over here and get my pilots back on line! Something is going on out there and I want to know what this instant!"

To say that Jaeger Program Director Nicolas 'Nick' Fury was living up to his name would have been an understatement. The command console quivered under his fist as the eye-patched man repeatedly pounded the poor object, waiting for his second in command to get all radio lines working again. The fact that his number one team had already failed to answer a call was one thing but for both field teams to now be completely off the radar … he was concerned to say the least. And there had been suspicious activity near the Breach, otherwise the teams would not have been sent out … if anything …

Statics interrupted his line of thoughts, crackling and undecipherable noise slowly turning into word like blobs of noise turning into actual speech. What he, what everyone in the command center heard though was neither calming nor reasons to cheer.

"...tterdome … shatterdome, co … in … this … Eagle .. pha … epeat … Eagle Alph … d … copy?"

"Eagle! This is Shatterdome, Hill speaking! We copy! What is your position? We can not find you on the radar! Repeat, what is your current position and status?!"

"...ocation … nknown … we … en …. not … ure … at is … ing on … defin … ttack … wil … eng ...ge … Kaiju …."

With a most pathetic little whine the radio died out again, leaving the room completely quite for a few seconds.

"Did he say … Kaiju?!"

"… motherfucking Kaiju … Ground Crew! Prepare for the worst, have every available mechanic get their ass up here and ready for some massive puzzle game! Medical, stand ready for whatever you can still fix … we have to expect the worst! The damn bastards are back!"

~*~

Tension grew under the Shatterdome with every hour passing. Still no sign of either Jaeger, no word or sound of their pilots. As the fifth hour came drew to an end, Director Fury stepped up to microphone once more, his voice ringing out gravely through the entire complex.

"As of right now, Jaeger Teams BlackHawk and Eagle Alpha are considered lost. Pilots Rogers, Romanova, Barnes and Barton leave a great gap in our ranks … seeing as they were the only functioning pilots we had left! Training and selection of new recruits will begin sho …"

Once more he was interrupted, this time by the excited yell of one of the radar officers and the cheers of the rest of the crew at his words.

"We found them! Both Jaegers and vitals from all four pilots! They're inbound and due to arrive at the gates right about …"

A deafening crash drowned out any more words, answering the question of the fighting machines whereabouts impressively. immediately every personal on deck sprang into motion, turning the anxious, frozen atmosphere of the past hours into a beehive of commotion. The huge gates were lifted, admitting the two fallen warriors, for both units had suffered severe damage, BlackHawk missing an entire arm, whereas Eagle Alpha was very nearly split into, a giant cleave parting its chest piece in two.

It took the better part of another two hours to merely get both Jaegers up into their positions in order to retrieve their pilots who looked even worse for wear and were immediately carted into the medical wing, despite rather vocal protests on Romanova and Barnes' part. And yet the relief to find all four alive and breathing was palpable in the air, as, finally, jokes were cracked again and laughter filled the parking bay and repair docks.

The only exception from the generally lifted mood were the Director and his staff of commanding officers. The analysis from both Jaeger's logbooks ran on every monitor of the command center already and only proved what Eagle Alpha's disruptive radio call had already threatened. The Kaiju were back, the Breach reopened and the threat as real and grave as ever, if the damage to the fighters before them was any indicator to go by.

"Gentlemen, Ladies … none of us may like this news … but we're outgunned, hopelessly so … and if our R&D doesn't get their asses in motion soon and gets our gear upgraded … I'll put it bluntly … we're pretty much fucked …"

His one-eyed gaze swept over the room, making several of the younger officers shrink back into their chairs, only Commander Hill held it, her own eyes shadowed, her lips a grim, determined line. At least, Fury turned back to his own monitor where the video footage of BlackHawk's log flickered on repeat, the image blurred by rain and sea water, illuminated only by the occasional lighting flash. A perfect scene from ones everyday horror flick, if it weren't as real as the people around him. In the brief, brightly lit frames, slow-motioned to allow better analysis, the dark trademark shape of one of those godforsaken beasts kept breaking through the water's surface as both Jaegers frenetically tried to subdue and ultimately kill it. The loop of frames stopped and started over just as the massive jaw clamped itself onto Barton's and Romanova's arm, the pilots pained yells filling the audio.

With an annoyed grunt, the dark-skinned man slammed his fist onto the console's power button and the images vanished, leaving him with an undisturbed sight into the shatterdome's docks and at the broken remains of what was left of the once famed and praised Jaeger Program.

"Get me Stark on the line … and pray that Daddy's boy-genius comes up with usable solutions … it's about time he did some work for the precious air he breathes …"

~*~

"Dumm-E! Give that here! No here! Good god, you tragic excuse for a robot … if it weren't for the month of hard work I put into you, I'd disassemble you this instant! No! Not that … ugh! Leave it … I get up and get it myself …"

Pushing a pair of welter's glasses up into a mess of dark brown hair, Tony Stark emerged from the depth of a Jaeger's core engine, once white muscle shirt stained with various liquids of unknown origin, baggy pants dropping low on his slim hips, dragged down by the weight of multiple tools and gadgets stuffed into the pockets. Stepping onto the docking platform, he removed his working gloves to rummage through the tool caddy himself, pushing his eager yet useless robot assistant aside, the device emitting a short series of noises, not unlike a dog, whining as it got chastised by it's owner.

"What are you complaining about? I should be complaining, I built you to be a help not a nuisance! Sheesh, what a mess … have you been re-arranging this thing again? Hmpf … must have … who else would put round weld nuts and screw nuts in the same compartment … I thought I programed you well … idiot robot …"

The muttering continued as the mechanic dived deeper into the large storage compartment of the caddy, oblivious to both the excitement and noise shaking the entire facility. The fact that a small IPod-Station on top of the caddy kept blaring rock music at maximum setting helped to keep him locked in his own little world.

Finally coming up with the box of precision tools he'd been looking for he returned to the Jaeger's core, gently patting the red and gold painted steel on his way in.

"One day, my friend … one of these days I'll take you flying and if it kills me …"

Which it very likely would, were he to try steering the metal colossus alone. But he had not yet given up on his hope to find someone drift-compatible despite the multitude of failed attempts he already went through. And despite the mutters of 'who would ever be able to drift with an egomaniac like Stark' and 'Daddy's little genius … too bad he'll never live up to the legacy …'! What did they know? Not like any of them were sitting in Jaeger's and fighting beasts out in the Pacific. Well … except for Barton … and maybe Barnes, both of which were usually among the mutterers. But one of these days … Kaijubuster would take off and blow their minds! And be the greatest Jaeger of them all.

The thought alone was enough to make him grin wide and start whistling along to the new song starting on his play list, welding another piece into place in the endless puzzle of what would soon be his greatest creation, when suddenly the music stopped, leaving the air oddly hollow with silence.

"Dumm-E!! You useless piece of robot-crap … what did I tell you about touching the IPo … Fury … to what do I owe this questionable honor?"

With his finger still on the music player's power button the one-eyed director merely stared at Tony, gaze speaking louder then words and with an annoyed roll of the eyes the dark-haired exited his workspace once more, took his gloves off and wiped his hands on a cotton rag tied to his belt before extending one towards the other man, receiving just another icy stare in return.

"Aaalright … no friendly gestures then … what happened this time? Kaiju parasite crawl up Eagle Scout Rogers' backside? I'm not the biologist here, Banner would be better suited for such an extraction to be sure … or did Barton cut his finger again? I told him not play with sharp objects … but does the man listen? No, he'd just …"

"Walk with me, Stark … you and I need to have a word!"

"To make a clear statement for the protocol, I did not, repeat NOT, touch any of the food processing machines in the mass. All I did was delime the coffeemaker and you should all be damn grateful for whatever concoction that thing spits out every day … at least it tastes somewhat like coffee now!"

~*~

Two hours later found Director Fury on the brink of attempted murder, Tony, arms crossed defensively in front of his chest, glaring daggers in the general direction of the other man and the tension in the room thick enough to make everyone accidentally stumbling across them flee immediately. Something had not quite gone right.

"So let me get this straight once more …"

The dark-haired's voice carried a dangerous edge, his usual carefree bearing replaced by one of grim defiance.

"You're asking me not only to get two giant heaps of scrap metal back into working shape, after **your** praised team of dimwits totaled them no less, but you're also asking that I dismantle my own Jaeger for the purpose? Is that about it?"

"Reduced to naked facts … yes, that is exactly what I am asking, Stark and you'd do well to follow my request. Today has proven that the Kaiju are still very much alive and willing to turn our world into dust and that they have obviously spent their time pumping … my two best, and may I add, last functioning Jaegers just barely made it home today … they need an upgrade asap and, loathe as I am to admit it, your sorry ass is the only mechanic under this roof capable of carrying out that upgrade."

Fury's gaze became a notch colder as her turned towards the other once more, hands crossed behind his back, lips turned down sourly.

"Actually as far as I recall … this was my condition a while back … I would allow you to stay here, work on your little school project and in exchange you would lent your brain power to the R&D department of the program. I have yet to see results from your side … but as there was no immediate need for them and owed to the fact that your dear Daddy-O is funding the whole affair … I have kept quiet. But now the need has arisen and I cannot and will not bear playing childish games with you, because you have, stupidly, gotten it stuck in your head that you're destined to be a pilot!"

At the mention of his father, Tony visibly cringed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants and starting on a restless pace through the small confines of the room, his brain desperately searching for a suitable reply to what he knew Fury would say next, for any way to avert the inevitable.

"You are not and will never be piloting a Jaeger, Stark. You have, by far, the highest count of attempted … and failed … drift tests. Face it, there is no one out there compatible with you. I do not know and do not care why that is but it is fact. So give up that little dream of yours and make yourself useful where you're needed! Your … Jaeger holds pieces that mine need. Pieces that could be fabricated but that would take precious time none of us have right now. Stop clinging to the thing and let my mechanics take it apart, got it?"

Tony made a noise low in his throat, a mixture of protest, shock and desperation and shook his head briefly, only earning himself a cold look from the Director. They starred at each other for a few more seconds before Fury turned to leave, one last remark thrown almost casually over his shoulder.

"Unless you come up with a miraculous plan by tomorrow morning, I hereby claim ownership of the Jaeger Model Mark 99 and will have my ground crew ready to dismantle the thing, starting at 0900 sharp. Am I understood?"

Without waiting for an answer, the dark skinned man left the room, door closing with a definite bang, leaving Tony alone in silent panic.

"Fuck you, too! Shit … shit, shit, shit … common, Stark … no time for tears now … think, think, think … you can come up with something … you always come up with something …"

But how to find a drift partner in under twenty hours and then be able to present his Jaeger in fighting condition, too … he was a mechanic, a genius, he could make unbelievable things happen … but miracles had yet to happen.

~*~

By the next morning the injured pilots had been released from the medical wing with the exception of James Barnes, who, due to complications, was still fighting his body for the life of his right arm. Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanova and Clint Barton, all in various states of cut and bruised but otherwise of sound health, had immediately reported to Director Fury, declared themselves ready for duty and asked about the statuses of their Jaegers.

To find out that both machines were in severe need of repairs, both damaged to an extend that made them virtually useless, came as less of a shock then one would have expected. After all, they had been on board when the damage had been inflicted, had felt the beast's jaw, the claws tearing at metal skin.

Steve shuddered softly with the memory, held fresh by the fact that he could still feel Bucky's struggle through their link and closed his eyes for a brief moment before focusing again on the giant wreck in front of him.

"How long till they will be back in working order?"

He feared the answer, knowing that replacement parts for a Jaeger, for anything of this size were essentially impossible to come by and would most likely have to be fabricated anew. And to think that the Kaiju were back and stronger then before. The blonde closed his eyes for a moment, fighting off the wave of nausea that threatened to overtake him. Fixing his gaze back on the Director, he hoped the answer would sound better then his own misgivings.

"Less then three days, hopefully. I have instructed the repair crews to dismantle Stark Jr.'s toy and use whatever scrap they find to fix up Hawk and Eagle. With all due respect … Hawk being the Number One priority in this case since his team is fully assembled and will definitely be so once we are ready to go back into the field.

Looking in the vague direction of Barton and Romanova, Steve nodded, mute. He knew it made perfect sense, knew that with Bucky's unstable condition he was currently grounded, even if Eagle Alpha were complete and yet he could not help the pang of annoyance at the fact that he was pushed in second place. There was also the unwanted thought that essentially all of their combined efforts would be in vain against this new level of Kaiju they had encountered. Merely repairing their remaining Jaegers would likely do no good in the long run. As if reading his thoughts, the Director picked up on exactly this issue, a frown of displeasure marring his features.

"… I have also reminded Stark, that his presence here is only tolerated and that the deal was for him to give us technology. Let us hope that once he's not distracted by his own game anymore he'll be able to provide us with something more efficient. Most of all … better weaponry. If we can't outrun or outwit them, then I want you to at least be able to blow them to bits faster … and he does have a sharp mind for such things, after all … if not for much else that could be useful to us."

A brief snort from Barton made Steve look up, a helpless little smile on his own lips. Now they were depended on Howard Stark's boy, the guy obsessed with piloting but too full of himself to ever be able to properly drift. The odds were not exactly looking rosy for them and the rest of the world.

As if conjured by their thoughts though, the door of the command center slid open, revealing the dark haired mechanic genius, followed closely by a tall man with pale, almost white hair and an expression so blank, he might as well not have had a face at all. Stark himself, on the other hand, was grinning like Cheshire cat. Walking into the room like he owned, he immediately stepped up to Fury.

"Good morning, everyone! Spangles, Barton, Natasha … looking good! The white headband sets your hair of beautifully! Now, Patches, remember what you told me yesterday? About dismantling my life's work and using it as organ donations for your rusty retirees? Unless! And I remember this specific _unless_ quite clearly. Unless I came up with a miraculous plan, isn't right? It's right, I know, I've got an amazing memory! Well, my point is … I have such a plan! I have a solution for all your problems! And it's standing right here!"

His grin only grew broader if that were possible as he neatly stepped a side half a meter and pointed an excited hand at the man behind him. Blank face meet blanker faces as the group of pilots and Director waited for the announced miracle to happen. It was Stark's laughter that finally broke the tension.

"Well don't just fall over yourselves with joy … and let me make some introduction here. This is Jarvis! Jarvis, meet Director Patches and his jolly Bunch. Stick-up-the-Ass Rogers, I-love-Arrows-more-then-girls-Barton and Don't-mess-with-her-cause-she'll-severely-fuck-you-up-Natasha! No seriously, you don't mess with her … Rogers' pet boy Barnes is currently indisposed but you'll have plenty of time to catch up. Anyways … what I'm getting and what you're all dying to know, am I right? Is this. Jarvis and I are … drift compatible! Well won't you look at that! And after everyone … that means you, Fury … told me to stop dreaming! Well I did! I stopped dreaming and made a couple of phone calls and Tadaa~ here he stands, in flesh and blood! My Co-Pilot and the one to help me get KajiuBuster to actually start busting some Kajiu! … gosh if you could only see the looks on your faces! Priceless … I should have brought my camera … wait, I did! Here! Smile!"

The cellphone's little flashlight went off, momentarily blinding everyone but Tony yet before Steve had a chance to reach out and grab the device it had already vanished into the depth of the mechanic's pockets again. Followed closely by his hands as he stuffed both of them away, shit-eating grin still firmly in place. Director Fury was the first to find his voice again, growling with suppressed rage, but was quickly drowned out by an ear piercing wail, as the Breach Alarm went off. While Clint let out a string of choice curses and Steve only released he was basically useless after his mind had ran through the list of things to do in case of alarm, Tony's face practically split into with glee.

It was Commander Hill, stepping up to Fury's side who finally made everyone calm down and look at their options at hand for real. Pushing a tablet PC in the Director's direction, her gaze was firmly fixed on Stark, suspicion written all over it.

"I checked his name and ID-tag, Sir … Jarvis, Edwin. Former employee of the Stark Family. Disappeared after the attack on Los Angeles. Apparently not dead … the files are sound, Sir … and here's the drift test results, too … they are compatible. The results are … well, from last night but they, too, are verified. Sir, with all due respect … we don't have much of a choice anyways …"

Frowning heavily, Fury once more read over the data himself, alarm beeping away in the background, until he finally pushed the tablet aside with a rude gesture and took two steps towards the genius, jabbing a finger into his chest.

"If you mess this up! If you get us all killed, I will personally come back from the dead and resurrect you too, just to have the pleasure of killing you myself! Slowly! With my bare hands! Do I make myself clear?"

"As crystal, Patches!"

"Then get yourself into that … Jaeger of yours! And you better be right about your miracle!"

~*~

The machine came to life around them, mechanisms singing, gears grinding noisily in an effort to get the giant creature into motion. Shudders ran through Tony's body, strapped into the Jaeger's steering unit as he was, making his first movements in this strange yet familiar surrounding rather jerky, awkward even.

"Sir, please calm down. We have been through this before and you will perform excellently. This is no different from the various training simulations we have gone through. Stay focused, concentrate on Kaijubuster's systems and we shall have no trouble at all!"

Jarvis' voice was monotone, lacking any form of emotion and yet it managed to cheer Tony up within seconds, the nervous shivers easing up, his mind starting to focus. As the last of the security lines was severed and the Drift Session about to open, the dark haired send one last glance in the direction of his copilot, smiling softly. This was going to work. They were going to make it work and they were about to write history.

~*~

"Shatterdome! This is Kaijubuster! Come in, Shatterdome!"

"… Kaijubuster … this is Shatterdome, we can hear you loud and clear, Stark …"

"I hope you have, whatever just happened, on tape! Because that! Was fucking amazing! Tell me again, Fury, who was going to endanger the entire planet? … Hah! I knew it would work, I just knew it! Busted!"

With a sharp jerk of his head, Director Fury commanded his radio officer to disconnect, drowning out Stark's overjoyed whoops of victory. Despite the fact that another Kajiu had just been defeated, the atmosphere within the command center was rather mellow. Next to the Director, Steve had silently watched the progress of the entire mission, brows furrowed in displeasure, bottom lip caught between his teeth.

"What do you think, Captain?"

A soft sigh passed the blonde's lips before he shook his head and turned around.

"It will do … for the moment but we still need to get Hawk and Eagle back together … if Stark wants to survive another attack, he will need to learn how to play as part of a team. If you will excuse me now, Sir. I will be in the medical wing and check up on Barnes."

~*~

By the time the next Kajiu reared its ugly head through the Breach, Eagle Alpha and BlackHawk had been repaired and, thanks to Tony Stark, upgraded with new weapons. Unfortunately, the fact that he now possessed the technologically most advanced Jaeger meant that Tony also considered himself Leader of the Pack, a fact first and foremost disputed by Steve and constant cause for unrest among the pilots.

"Stark! Don't break formation! Do **not** break formation! God dammit … is his radio even on?! What the hell is he doing?"

Steve's voice crackled angrily over the radio, strained not only due to the fact that he and Bucky were trying to push back the endless onslaught of one particularly aggressive Kajiu specimen but also because Stark and his KaijuBuster had vanished of the radar, most likely pulling another one of the mechanic's, by now infamous, stunts. All of which could always either result in victory or end in total disaster. Clint and Natasha, usually serving as backup within their little formation did their very best to gain ground and come to the rescue but the beast's lashes and snapping jaws became more and more frantic and would start hitting vital points of the Jaeger's structure soon.

"If we get out of this alive, Steve, I will have his head! This time I kill him and you will not talk me out of …"

The beast's giant head reared back all of the sudden, jaws wide, a piercing, unearthly scream splitting the air, as a massive ray of energy burst through it's chest, ripping apart the reptile like body and leaving behind a rain shower of skin, organs and other matter of biological origin, followed by a more then chirpy voice on the intercom.

"What were you saying, Barnes? I couldn't hear you over the sound of my saving your asses! I'd say that was another one on my scoreboard, eh? Busted!"

"Cocky, little shit! You nearly got us killed!"

"But only nearly, hm? Don't get your panties in a bunch! You were the perfect distraction and I got in for the kill! Isn't that what teamwork is all about?"

~*~

Soon enough, not only the personal under the Shatterdome's roof but also the general public became aware of the new Jaeger and its pilots, Stark's natural charm and talent with press and promotion causing him to rise to stardom in the matter of month. He turned the once rather withdrawn and millitarian program into his personal show, inventing an entire line of merchandise and generally giving the press as much fodder as he possibly could. And loving every second of it, unlike the others, who he dragged into the entire farce more or less against their will.

KajiuBuster and with it Stark and Jarvis became the new brand of Superhero, the one people turned to in times of crisis, their hope, some would even go as far as to call them their Savior. And Stark soaked it up like a dried up sponge, basking in the attention, the fame and glory.

And unfortunately, his continued success endorsed his growing ego even more until it became almost unbearable to work with him. It was the weight of responsibility, the fact that not only a job but the life of an entire planet's population lay on their shoulders that kept pushing the other pilots back into their cockpits over and over, to fight shoulder to shoulder with someone who completely disregarded the safety of himself and the one's he was working with in order to achieve ever more spectacular victories.

Things were bound to go downhill at some point and when they did, Stark was so high up, it was more than an ego's tumble he took. He crashed. And burnt brighter still.

~*~

_Danger! Breach activity detected! All Jaeger pilots report to your stations immediately! Danger! Breach activity detected! Three separate energy signatures confirmed! All Jaeger pilots report to your stations immediately!_

"Fucking three? Are you kidding me?"

Jogging along the facilities corridors, Bucky and Steve scrambled into their uniforms, meeting with Natasha and Clint halfway to the docking ports, nerves raw and on edge, the alarm still ringing through the hallways. Ground crews, technicians, mechanics where rushing to and fro, everyone getting to their stations as fast as possible, getting all three Jaegers ready for deployment.

"It's getting out of hand lately … we should consider other …"

"Cap, sorry to interrupt but could you leave the thoughts of 'what' and 'if' to when we got out of this one alive? We have three of those bastards ahead of us and that is all I'm thinking about right now. We can worry about how to stop them form coming through the Breach **after** we've defeated them!"

The two teams then separated, each stepping onto the elevators to their respective entry points. As the drift opened and threw them into sync with each other, so did the radio link, Director Fury's voice filling them in on the exact details of them mission.

"Alright everybody, here goes … you heard the alarm and I can confirm it for you once more. We have three Kajiu inbound. Luckily two of them only reach the energy readings of a regular Category 1, the third borders between 2 and 3. Stick together and keep to the mission plans and you should make it out of this one just fine. But I'll say it again and this one goes to you, Stark: **Stick together if you want to stay alive**."

Having reached the cockpit of his own fighter, Tony merely snorted over the com link and shook his head, grinning at his copilot.

"Psh … don't worry, Patches! When have I ever let any of you down?"

"All. The fucking. Time! Asshole!"

"Silence! All of you! Get yourself ready, we're about to open the gate. There's three motherfucking Kaijus out there and I want them gone in time for dinner, you got that? Good, get going now!"

"Aye, Sir!"

"Understood!"

"As you wish, Patches!"

Once more the alarm rang as the giant flood gates of the Shatterdome opened, the heavy metal groaning with the effort of movement. Shortly after the three fighting machines came to life under their pilots command, wading out into the Pacific's ice cold water, ready to face the threat heading their way.

"BlackHawk, KaijuBuster, this is Eagle Alpha. I have the targets on my radar. Gamma formation. We will meet them head on and engage on sight. Buster, you take the center one, Category 3, while Hawk and I take care of the others. If any of you get in trouble, retreat immediately, repeat, immediate retreat! I want all of us back at the base in one piece later on, understood?"

"Understood, Spangles! Hit them really hard on the nose and if they bite back, ran back to Mommy! Or we could try to just hit them harder!"

"Shut up and get ready! Here they come!"

The sight of the massive beasts was enough to make a weak man fall to his knees. Even to seasoned Jaeger pilots the sight of three of those giants was one they'd rather not see again. And as metal clashed with scaly flesh and bone and the fight for the planet's life started anew, the noise of wind and rain, waves and grinding gears was deafening. As highly advanced weapons technology meet the naked brutality of animal instinct, the entire world shrank down to that very moment, the fight, the next hit, the next shot and the next, the next, the next.

Tony heard the sickening crunch before he felt it, as the Category 3's claws tore into Kaijubuster's unguarded side, tearing at the metal casing and exposing the core reactor the forces of the elements.

"Shit! Jarvis! Reroute all energy to the secondary reactor, the core won't keep up long! Dammit! And get me some power back into the right hand .. I need the repulsor's ready to fire in … Jarvis! Watch out! Evade!"

"Stark! You have one on your back! Watch it … shit! Hawk, can you get to him?! STARK!"

As the clawed creature lunged once more, it was the head it caught this time, cleaving the Jaeger open like a can, rain and wind howling into the cockpit, shaking the pilots in their steering gear.

"JARVIS!"

Over the roaring of the wind and the screams of the attacking beast, it was near impossible for Tony to hear his own voice, let alone warn is Copilot properly, having lost a proper drift connection the moment the main core wires had been severed. And so he was forced to watch, helpless as the monster swung back once more before the massive head came down fast and hard, teeth burying themselves into the pale man's body and ripping him apart, flesh and bone, wires and screws flying everywhere. Tony remembered his throat being torn apart by his own scream before the world went blank.

~*~*~

"And that, Ladies and Gentlemen of the Court … is all I remember from that day. I was told afterward that Barton and Romanova dragged my unconscious body home, along with what was left of my Jaeger and that Eagle Alpha took care of the remaining Kaiju. As for my Copilot … he would be dead now if it weren't for the fact that he was, in fact, a cyborg, created by me, a highly advanced AI given a body to be able to assist me in the piloting of KaijuBuster."

He smirked at that, ignoring the Attorney's frown and instead focusing all his charm on the Judge and the members of the Jury.

"And is that to be my crime? To be ingenious enough to create something so life like that it fooled everyone into believing it was, in fact, alive? That I, by creating this being, was able to safe the world not only once but numerous times? I will admit, I have methods that many will not agree with but I have always used them with the intention of doing good! Am I to be punished now for my wish to serve my country? To serve my planet? I think not! And for this very reason I plead Not Guilty on all charges. I took the necessary steps to be able to safe our world and nothing more!"

The Attorney's lips opened and closed for a moment but no sound coming out, stunned with the statement. Coughing roughly, she recovered quickly though, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"So what you're saying, Mr. Stark, is …"

_**~ I'm gonna pull it, pull it, pull the trigger ~ Shoot to thrill, play to kill ~** _

"If you'll excuse me? That would be my cellphone …. yes, Jarvis?"

_"Sir. There has been activity detected within the Breach. I recommend you and the other pilots return to the Shatterdome as soon as possible."_

"Right away, J. and thanks for the heads up!"

With an impossible bright smile, Tony turned his attention back towards the Attorney, taking a mocking bow.

"I am ever so sorry I cannot stay till this chamber has decided on my fate. We have a world to safe and I'll be dammed before I'll the bureaucracy keep me from that."

With that he turned on his heel and marched out of the room, pleased to hear the sounds of chairs scraping over the floor behind him. The others where following and damn if it wasn't a good feeling to know that someone had his back.

_~fin_

**Author's Note:**

> My entry for Brilcrist's Kaijubuster Avengers/Pacific Rim Crossover AU Fanfiction Contest
> 
> http://kaijubusterverse.tumblr.com/


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